Department for Transport

Railways: Lincoln

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 November (HL3318), in the light of the fact that the franchise to Virgin Stagecoach for the East Coast Main Line specified five additional services between Lincoln and London each day, whether there are any immediate steps that can be taken, either directly or via Newark North Gate, to improve the present service.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The additional Lincoln services have been contracted by the Department to run from May 2019, because at that time the new IEP rolling stock and infrastructure enhancements (subject to the ORR granting the necessary rights) will enable Virgin Trains East Coast to operate these additional services.However, Franchise Agreements state the minimum service provision of the train operator, and if the train operator believes that the demand exists for more services than are stipulated and they have the rolling stock, staff availability and they can obtain the required track access rights, there is nothing to stop them from running more services.The Government believes that Train Operators are better placed to respond to the changing demands of their customers in the creation of train services.

Road Traffic Offences

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to give effect to the sections of the Traffic Management Act 2004 that allow for the enforcement of moving traffic offences by wardens employed by local authorities in England.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: London local authorities already have powers to enforce moving traffic contraventions alongside the police under London specific legislation. The Government however has no plans at present to enable moving traffic enforcement by local authorities outside London as the police already have the necessary powers to take action where it is needed.

Transport for the North

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who appointed John Cridland as chair of Transport for the North and what recruitment process was followed to appoint him; how many hours a week he will work; how much he will be paid, and from which funds; whether this is a fixed term appointment; to whom he is responsible on (1) policy, and (2) pay and rations matters; and what are his terms of reference.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: John Cridland was appointed as Chairman of Transport for the North (TfN) by TfN with the agreement of the Secretary of State for Transport.This followed an open competition and interview process. He will receive a remuneration of £30,000 per annum for a commitment of 30 days a year, which is commensurate with the level for similar positions. This will be met from the existing TfN budget. The appointment is for an initial two years, and can be extended for up to a further four years. The Chairman is responsible to the TfN Partnership Board in all matters and will receive any terms of reference from that body.

Transport for the North

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what type of body is Transport for the North; who made the decision to set it up; what are its terms of reference; whether it has a constitution; what form its controlling body takes, how its composition was decided, and who are its members; whether any members of the controlling body other than the chairman receive remuneration, and if so, on what basis and how much; what is its annual budget, and from which funds that budget is derived; how many staff are employed to work for it; where those staff are based; and what property it occupies, and on what basis.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Transport for the North (TfN) membership is drawn from the North’s combined and local authority, and Local Enterprise Partnership leaders working in a unique partnership with the Government, Network Rail, Highways England and HS2 Ltd. It was established by the Government with Northern leaders in October 2014. The TfN governance framework is outlined in the Principles for Governing the Relationship between Transport for the North (TfN) and the Department for Transport (DfT) document, which is attached and is available on the TfN website. The Chairman of TfN is the only Partnership Board member receiving remuneration for this role. Building on the summer budget commitment to provide funding to TfN, the Government is committing a total of £50m (£10m per annum) over this parliament, enabling TfN to build its capacity and capability to recruit the staff it needs and get on with planning better rail and roads to deliver the Government’s ambitious programme to create a Northern Powerhouse.This is in addition to the £8.5m already provided by DfT and up to £4m committed by the members of TfN. Following the recent appointments of the Chief Executive and Chairman, the recruitment process for both permanent and temporary staff is now underway. TfN is based at temporary premises in Manchester until a permanent location is agreed.



TfN principles document
(PDF Document, 727.63 KB)

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the rail layout in Leeds should allow HS2 trains from London, Birmingham, the East Midlands and Sheffield to Leeds to continue on to the East Coast Main Line to Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In November 2015 Sir David Higgins published his “Yorkshire Hub” interim report on Leeds HS2 station setting out his recommendation for a new hub station in Leeds. HS2 Limited is examining options that could allow regional services using HS2 from the south to travel via Leeds to York, Newcastle or Hull. The Government will take a decision on the Phase Two route in autumn 2016.

Railways: North of England

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether a new HS3 fast line from Manchester and across the Pennines should pass through Leeds.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In November 2015 the Government and Transport for the North jointly published a progress report on the Northern Transport Strategy, including our work to transform rail in the North. Our vision is an integrated network of rail services providing fast, frequent, comfortable and convenient connectivity between the main centres of the North.We have commissioned Network Rail and HS2 Ltd to identify options to meet, or move towards meeting this vision. This includes development of infrastructure options, including between Manchester and Leeds, as part of a wider network also encompassing Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle and Hull.

Aviation: Pregnant Women

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 16 July (HL1538), whether, in preparing that answer, they took into account that a component of tri-cresyl phosphate (TCP) used in some engine oils is tri-xylyl phosphate (TXP), which is currently listed as a Substance of Very High Concern under Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 and as a hazardous substance under Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 because of its classification as toxic for reproduction, and that both TCP and TXP are listed as being suspected of causing harm to the unborn child or fertility.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Trixylyl phosphate (TXP) has been identified as reproductive hazard with effects on fertility based on the oral combined repeated dose and reproductive/developmental study submitted by the company Supresta Netherlands BV. The evidence in the study is derived from oral dosing of rats with various amounts of pure compound during time period of 33 to 48 days. Some effects to fertility were found in mid and high dose groups, however there was no evidence of the substance harming the development of the foetus.Based on the study, it is not plausible that the occupants of an aircraft would be exposed to sufficient quantities of TXP to have an impact on fertility.

Aviation: Pregnant Women

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 16 July (HL1538), whether, in preparing that answer, they took account that of the substances in jet engine oils, only tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate has an exposure standard or short-term exposure limit, and that EH40/2005 Workplace Exposure Limits states that the absence of a workplace exposure limit "does not indicate that [a substance] is safe", and if not, whether they will provide a revised answer.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The previous answer took account of all the substances referred to in the Cranfield University’s Aircraft Cabin Air Sampling Study regardless of whether they are subject to Workplace Exposure Limits. For example, two of the substances measured (tolulene and carbon monoxide) are the subject of a European standard for safety, health and comfort limits (BS EN 4618:2009). In addition to this, for the substances that do not have a European standard, other limits and guidelines have been considered in assessing the significance of any health risk of exposure to the concentrations measured in cabin air. Several of the substances monitored during the research, for example TBP, TOCP and tetrachloroethylene, have workplace exposure limits (WEL). For substances that do not have a WEL, a number of guidelines were used that have been recommended by the World Health Organisation as well as different groups in the UK and EU. These groups include Kotzias et al, Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and Committee on the Medical Effect of Air Pollutants (COMEAP).

Aviation: Pregnant Women

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 2 November (HL3216), whether that answer takes into account that EH40/2005 Workplace Exposure Limits states that workplace exposure limits (WELs) are British exposure limits and are set in order to help to protect the health of workers and apply only to people at work, and that the final report of the Cranfield cabin air study of 2011 stated that WELs "are appropriate for the protection of the health of a working adult exposed in a workplace and are not applicable to other groups such as children or elderly persons or to other environments that are not workplaces"; and if not, whether they will now provide a revised answer.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The previous answer (HL3216) took account of the relevant national and international guidelines and the relevance of various chemicals to human health. For example, two of the substances measured (tolulene and carbon monoxide) are the subject of a European standard for safety, health and comfort limits (BS EN 4618:2009). In addition to this, for the substances that do not have a European standard, other limits and guidelines have been considered in assessing the significance of any health risk of exposure to the concentrations measured in cabin air. Several of the substances monitored during the research, for example TBP, TOCP and tetrachloroethylene, have workplace exposure limits (WEL). For substances that do not have a WEL, a number of guidelines were used that have been recommended by the World Health Organisation as well as different groups in the UK and EU. These groups include Kotzias et al, Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Committee on the Medical Effect of Air Pollutants (COMEAP).

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 8 July (HL831) and 2 November (HL3215), why those fume events that did occur did not trigger the airline's formal reporting procedures to the Civil Aviation Authority under its mandatory reporting scheme, CAP382.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Under the Civil Aviation Authority’s mandatory reporting scheme (CAP382), a trigger for a report is an event that is considered by crew to be a “safety-related event which endangers or which, if not corrected or addressed, could endanger an aircraft, its occupants or any other person”.None of the flights where fumes/smells were reported on post flight questionnaires met this criteria.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 July (HL1265), how they reconcile their claim that 95 per cent of the cabin air samples taken in the Cranfield air quality study showed no detectable amounts of tri-cresyl phosphate (TCP) or tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) when Part 2 of the final report shows that TCP and TOCP were detected in 25 per cent of the 100 samples.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The study itself concludes that “It is notable that no detectable amount of TOCP or other TCPs were found in over 95% of the cabin air samples.” The Government has taken this peer-reviewed finding at face value and sees no reason to dispute the conclusions of the report.The study was published in two parts, Part 1 containing the conclusions and Part 2 setting out the raw data. During analysis some of the data samples in Part 2 were discounted from the study due to various reasons such as fault with the equipment.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the 2010 PhD study by Susan Michaelis Health and flight safety implications from exposure to contaminated air in aircraft showing that 63 per cent of studied pilots experienced short-term effects from cabin air contamination, and 13 per cent were no longer able to maintain their pilot medical certification because of chronic ill health which bore a close temporal relationship to cabin air contamination; and what support is offered to pilots, crew and passengers who are affected by fume events.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has not made any assessment of the study referred to. However, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment has reviewed a number of earlier reports by the author when conducting its own research into cabin fume events, which has informed the Government’s assessments.Support for those concerned that their health has been impacted by air travel is offered through the National Health Service. The Government would encourage any pilots, crew or passengers with health concerns relating to fume events in the first instance to contact their GP, who can assess their case and refer on to specialist services where appropriate.

Railways: Freight

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to implement the original text of Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 about a European rail network for competitive freight, in the light of the recent decision by the European Court of Justice.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Department for Transport, as a member of the Executive Board, and Network Rail, as a member of the Management Board, for Rail Freight Corridor North Sea – Mediterranean, will work with their Corridor partners to implement the extension of the British element of this Corridor to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Felixstowe and Southampton by 2018. In accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 as amended by Regulation (EU) 1316/2013, these extensions will be based on market studies and will take into consideration existing passenger and freight operations on those routes.

Network Rail

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials within the Department for Transport are currently working as part of the team liaising with Network Rail.

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials within the Department for Transport they expect to be working as part of the team liaising with Network Rail in 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: A large number of staff within the Department for Transport’s Rail Executive liaise with Network Rail on a wide range of policy, delivery and operational issues - it is not possible to state an exact number as these staff also have other responsibilities. A team of seven officials currently handles issues specifically arising from Network Rail’s reclassification to the public sector in September 2014. Future resourcing will remain responsive to business needs and is not pre-planned over these years.

Road Works

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the co-operation between highway authorities and statutory service providers who need to dig up the highway and footway to maintain, repair and replace their services.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the co-operation between highway authorities and statutory undertakers.However, section 59 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 places a duty on local highway authorities to co-ordinate works on the highway and section 60 provides a mirror duty on statutory undertakers to co-operate with them in that role.Additionally the Traffic Management Act 2004 introduced the Network Management Duty which requires local authorities to manage their networks with a view to making the most effective use of them. The 2004 Act also introduced permit schemes, which enable highway authorities to have a more proactive role in the management of their road networks.

Home Office

Visas: Overseas Students

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Tier 4 licences for non-EU students are audited annually.

Lord Bates: The number of Tier 4 licensed sponsors audited from 1 January to 30 September 2015 was 286. In the calendar year 2014 there were 383 .

Public Service: Corruption

Lord Haworth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the acquisition of assets in the UK by Rakhat Aliyev, they will introduce unexplained wealth orders so that assets held by foreign public officials can be frozen pending criminal investigations.

Lord Bates: On 15 October 2015, the Government published the National Risk Assessment on money laundering and terrorist financing. The Government has committed to publishing an Action Plan, which will set out the work that we will undertake to improve the UK response to these crimes, and to fill the gaps identified in that Assessment. The Plan will include consideration of new powers to address the proceeds of grand corruption and other forms of illicit enrichment.

Asylum: Diabetes

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of what medical support is available for diabetic asylum seekers in refugee camps across Europe.

Lord Bates: Each EU Member State is responsible for the welfare of asylum applicants on their territory. The UK government bears no responsibility for asylum seekers who are on the territory of another Member State and has made no assessment of the support available for diabetic asylum seekers in other parts of Europe.

National Crime Agency

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what input businesses make to the national strategy of the National Crime Agency.

Lord Bates: The National Crime Agency's (NCA’s) Annual Plan sets out its priorities and how it plans to exercise its functions in leading the fight to cut serious and organised crime. The NCA also produces on behalf of UK law enforcement the National Strategic Assessment (NSA) which draws together a single picture of the threat from serious and organised crime and is produced in consultation with a broad range of partners.In discharging its functions, the NCA maintains close, collaborative and productive relationships with the police and other law enforcement agencies, Police and Crime Commissioners, the intelligence and security agencies, government departments (in particular with the Home Office), local government and the private and voluntary sectors, and Devolved Administrations.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Commonwealth: Terrorism

Lord Rana: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the number of extremists from Commonwealth countries fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK does not hold numbers of extremists from Commonwealth countries fighting in Syria and Iraq. The latest UN report on foreign fighters (April 2015) estimates there are over 1,350 foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq from Commonwealth nations. Over 800 Britons of national security concern have travelled to the region since the start of the conflict, around half of whom have returned.

Syria: Military Intervention

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have that air strikes in Syria would reduce ISIL's ability to attack the UK; and what assessment they have made of the terrorist threat to the UK posed by British-born ISIL recruits as a direct result of such air strikes.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The threat to the UK is already at Severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. In just over a year, our police and security services have stopped no fewer than 7 different terrorist plots in Britain, all linked to or inspired by Daesh. By attacking Daesh in its heartland in Syria, from where many of its plans are directed, we are taking the fight to Daesh and degrading their capability to plot to kill British people. There is already a significant threat to the UK from British Islamist extremists who have travelled to Iraq and Syria. Around 800 Britons of national security concern are known to have travelled to Iraq and Syria, and over half of those have already returned.

Iraq: Religious Freedom

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Iraq's National Identity Law, and the impact that it will have on religious minorities in Iraq and their right to freedom of religion or belief.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are concerned by Iraq’s proposed National Identity Law, in particular Article 26 which could restrict freedom of religion or belief, which is a basic human right.We welcome the resolution adopted by the majority of the Iraqi Council of Representatives on 17 November declaring its intention to amend the law.The National Identity Law is yet to be discussed since Parliament has been in recess. We will continue to monitor this issue closely.

Iraq: Religious Freedom

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq regarding the National Identity Law and the right to freedom of religion or belief for all in Iraq.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are closely following the proposed National Identity Law in Iraq. Our Embassy in Baghdad has raised at the highest level our concern about the potential effect of the Law, particularly Article 26, on minority ethnic and religious communities of Iraq. We have called on the members of the Council of Representatives to reconsider Article 26 and either remove it, or amend it from the proposed law. We have asked that the determination of the child’s religion for purposes of personal status law should only be made once she or he turns 18 years of age. We welcome the resolution adopted by the majority of the Council of Representatives on 17 November declaring its intention to amend the law. We continue to encourage the Government of Iraq to recognise all religious groups and ensure freedom of religion or belief in Iraq.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 17 November (HL3625), what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the identification of the ages of Palestinian children prior to their arrest and detention.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised this issue with the Israeli Ministry of Justice (MoJ) when they met on 3 November and were informed that a small number of children under 12 had been detained. The Israeli MoJ stated that once their age was established, the minors were released. They also told officials that if identification was not available, parents of the individuals were contacted via the Palestinian District Coordination Office. Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention in Israel. This includes a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, changes to standard operating procedures on methods of restraint, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. While we welcome improvements, we continue to push for the full implementation of changes and to encourage further changes in practice.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding its intention to close the Palestinian theatre in Jerusalem.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the detention and interrogation of a six year-old boy in Bethlehem.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not raised this specific incident with the Israeli authorities, we have been informed by officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem that the child concerned has reportedly been released.We regularly raise the issue of detention of minors with the Israel government. On 27 August our Ambassador in Tel Aviv lobbied the Israeli Military Advocate General on our concerns about children in detention.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Governmentwhat representations they have made to the government of Israel following a report by Rabbis for Human Rights that young Jewish settlers from Yitzhar were calling for Palestinians to be burned alive.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Whilst we have not specifically raised this issue, we are deeply concerned by the recent violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. We strongly condemn all acts of violence and all incitement to commit acts of violence. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, urging them to use their influence to de-escalate the tensions. The most recent discussion with the Israeli government was on 19 November when our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with Gilad Erdan, Israel Minister for Strategic Affairs, Public Security and Information.

Israel: EU External Relations

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take following the announcement that the government of Israel is to end its diplomatic links with the EU.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It is not our understanding that the Government of Israel is ending its diplomatic links with the EU. The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, discussed this issue with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 30 November. Prime Minister Netanyahu clarified that Israel will continue to work with the EU on the Middle East Peace Process. In December 2009, the UK introduced voluntary guidelines to enable produce from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories to be specifically labelled as such. We therefore also welcome the EU’s ‘Interpretative notice on the indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967’, a technical clarification of existing rules, adopted on 11 November.

Israel: Palestinians

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the number of Palestinian civilians, including children, killed in the Occupied Territories by Israeli Forces and by settlers, whether they will call on the government of Israel to review its policy on the use of lethal force and to eliminate all impunity for the use of excessive force.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has repeatedly raised with the Israeli government our concerns about incidents of settler violence and intimidation, including the importance of the Israeli authorities bringing extremist settlers to justice and providing adequate protection for the Palestinian civilian population. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns over the use of force, including lethal force, most recently on 19 November with the Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs and Public Security. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv also raised the issue of force with the Head of the Civil Department of the Israeli Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Civil Department on 24 November, and the Israeli National Security Council on 18 November.

Genocide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 7 December (HL4065), whether they are in the process of submitting evidence of genocide against Yazidis and Assyrian Christians to international courts, and if so, which ones; when the international courts last declared a genocide to have taken place; and when the international courts last initiated a trial for genocide, and against whom.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are not submitting any evidence of possible genocide against Yezidis and Christians to international courts, nor have we been asked to.The most recent occasion on which an international court found genocide to have occurred was on 10 June 2010, when the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted several of the accused in the Prosecutor v. Popović et al. case for either committing, conspiracy to commit, or aiding and abetting, genocide in and around Srebrenica and Žepa in 1995. These convictions were subsequently upheld by the Appeals Chamber of the ICTY on 30 January 2015.The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) initiated a trial against Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea, two former Khmer Republic senior officials, which remains ongoing, and includes charges of genocide against the Cham and Vietnamese people. Evidence relating to the genocide charges began being heard on 7 September 2015.

Afghanistan: Islamic State

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have on the extent to which Daesh is establishing and consolidating control of territory in Afghanistan, in particular in the east, and what action they plan to take to prevent that.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Daesh affiliate in Afghanistan and Pakistan which identifies as Islamic State in the Khorasan Province (ISKP) primarily consists of former Taleban. While ISKP has influence in the eastern province of Nangahar, it has not yet demonstrated any national presence. The Taleban see ISKP as a threat and there have been repeated clashes between the two groups in Nangahar. The UK, through our support to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), provides Train, Advise and Assist support to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces to help them tackle the extremist threat in Afghanistan. Together with our NATO partners we continue to monitor the situation closely.

Overseas Trade: Human Rights

Lord Singh of Wimbledon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 7 December (HL Deb, col 1310), what assessment they have made of whether the statement that they "never allow issues about our economic relationship to get in the way of upholding international law and international humanitarian law" is consistent with the remarks in June 2014 by the then Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise, Michael Fallon, that "we should not allow" concerns about human rights "to get in the way of a very important trade relationship".

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As the first country to produce a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights we have advocated the view that the promotion of business and respect for human rights go hand in hand. We see these as mutually reinforcing. The degree of influence we have with a country, including on human rights issues, depends on many factors; as a general rule we have more influence with countries with whom we have a strong trade and investment relationship.

Israel: Palestinians

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discussed, or have any plans to discuss, with the government of Israel, the impact of exit permit restrictions on inhabitants of Gaza and the West Bank who seek medical treatment elsewhere.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not discussed this issue with the Israeli authorities, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised the issue of freedom of movement with Israeli National Security Advisor Cohen on 2 November. Our Consul-General to Jerusalem also raised this issue with the Mayor of Jerusalem on 28 October.

Egypt: Gaza

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to discuss with the government of Egypt the risk of salt-water infiltration into the agricultural land of the Gaza Strip resulting from the newly-constructed anti-tunnel canal.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the construction of the anti-tunnel canal and of reports of a potential risk of salt-water infiltration into agricultural land in the surrounding area. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Overseas Students: Fees and Charges

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the total annual spending by international students on fees for all types of course in the UK.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on the income and expenditure of publicly funded UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the annual publication “Higher Education Finance Plus”. An introduction to the publication is available at the following link: https://hesa.ac.uk/pr213 and is attached.Table 1 of the publication details the source of income for UK HEIs. The total income from the course fees of non-EU domiciled students was £3,892m in the 2013/14 academic year, which represents 12.7% of the total income of UK HE providers.



HE Stats
(PDF Document, 55.26 KB)

Languages: Education

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the reasons for closing the Routes into Languages project, what research informed that decision, and what assessment they have made of the consequences of closing that project.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: Routes into Languages is a Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) funded project. The project’s steering group will consider the future of the programme as part of HEFCE’s budget process, taking account of the grant letter to be provided by the Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) Secretary of State.

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid: Job Creation

Lord Renwick of Clifton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the UK overseas aid budget is devoted to job creation.

Baroness Verma: DFID has committed to increase spending on economic development to £1.8 billion by 2015/16. This will help to create more and better jobs, including for women and youth, supporting countries to lift themselves out of poverty and aid dependency.

South Sudan: International Assistance

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provision they, acting alongside the United Nations, and the governments of Norway and the United States of America, have made for health and education services in South Sudan in the event of the bankruptcy of the relevant government departments in that country; and what discussions they have had with the authorities in South Sudan on the use of oil revenues in this context.

Baroness Verma: The UK is playing a leading role in the humanitarian response to the current instability in South Sudan. Through the Common Humanitarian Fund, the UK is financing emergency health and education provision for internally displaced persons and returning refugees, together with UN, US and Norway. We continue to monitor the situation closely and alongside our humanitarian support, we are playing an active role in the ongoing peace negotiations.In terms of our non-humanitarian health and education development programmes, these continue to operate in both the stable and conflict affected states of South Sudan. DFID is providing essential drugs, health worker salaries, and support for girls to complete secondary education as well as a range of other development programmes including skills training for out of school youth, and cash for public works and agricultural production.Regular dialogue and provision of technical assistance by DFID and other partners has resulted in the South Sudan government providing operational transfers to counties and grants to primary schools and healthcare centres in their 2015/16 budget, largely financed through oil revenues. Through an IMF Trust Fund, the UK, EU and Norway are helping the government to strengthen oil sector transparency, while UK supports South Sudan Customs Department to collect non-oil revenues.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent finding of the UNOCHA that more than 21.2 million people, including 9.9 million children, were in need of humanitarian aid in Yemen.

Baroness Verma: The UK is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen. According to UNOCHA, there are more people in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen than in any other country. However, because of the conflict, it has been difficult for the UN to access all parts of Yemen to carry out humanitarian assessments. The UN data on the overall number of people and children in need are therefore estimates and should be treated accordingly.Over the last year, the UK has doubled its humanitarian commitment to Yemen to £75 million in 2015/16. This is providing vital medical supplies, water, food, malnutrition and emergency shelter, including specifically to children through our programmes with UNICEF, Save the Children, and CARE.

Nepal: Earthquakes

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of aid provided by the UK following the earthquake in Nepal last year.

Baroness Verma: DFID gave £70 million to the Nepal earthquake response to support humanitarian and early recovery efforts, making us one of the major donors. The Department for International Development’s expenditure in Nepal is assessed in a number of different and complementary ways. Across the portfolio, monitoring plans are in place for every programme including our response to the 2015 earthquake. This places emphasis on results delivery, ensuring we are well placed to monitor the effectiveness of our programmes. Our strong focus on evaluation, both globally and in our country programmes, ensures we can evaluate performance and impact across the sectors in which we work.In addition to regular monitoring and evaluation, since the earthquake DFID Nepal has set up a regional office in Gorkha district to increase oversight of humanitarian and reconstruction programmes.

Nepal: Overseas Aid

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether UK aid is able to enter Nepal by road without interference or delay.

Baroness Verma: We have been closely monitoring the movement of humanitarian and health goods over the land borders to Nepal. A number of DFID partners providing winter assistance for vulnerable households living over 1,500m affected by the earthquake have trucks that have not been able to move freely across the border. Other DFID humanitarian partners have been procuring goods from Nepal but are struggling with their distribution due to shortages of fuel.We are actively advocating to all parties for the free movement of humanitarian and health supplies and peaceful resolution of the current disruption. The UN Resident Coordinator and the UK Ambassador met with Nepal’s Prime Minister this week to raise the issue of access to fuel for humanitarian operations. This has resulted in a positive commitment to prioritise a supply of fuel to humanitarian partners. UK ministers and senior civil servants continue to raise concerns over the current crises and need for quick resolution with concerned groups.

The Lord Chairman of Committees

House of Lords: Apprentices

Lord Rowlands: To ask the Chairman of Committees how many apprentices are employed in the House of Lords.

Lord Laming: The House of Lords Administration does not currently employ any apprentices. The Administration supports training related to employees’ work in the House of Lords, and has a graduate trainee post in the Parliamentary Archives.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Video on Demand

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation took place with relevant stakeholders before the announcement that video-on-demand programme services would be regulated by Ofcom from 1 January 2016.

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House the report of, or other documentation from, Ofcom's strategic review that led to the decision that Ofcom should regulate video-on-demand programme services from 1 January 2016.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: From 1 January 2016, Video on Demand (VOD) services will be regulated by Ofcom, following an internal review to ensure the regulation of broadcast is as effective and efficient as possible, for the benefit of customers, audiences, and the industry. Ofcom will act as the sole regulator for VOD services, rather than two separate bodies carrying out this work, creating operational efficiencies and allowing editorial content on VOD services to sit alongside Ofcom’s existing regulation of broadcasting.Ofcom has communicated the outcome and reasons for its decision to stakeholders. More information can be found here :http://media.ofcom.org.uk/news/2015/1520333/

Film: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to promote gender diversity in the UK film industry.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: This Government is committed to promoting diversity in the film industry. We support the British Film Institute's (BFI) newly launched £1 million Diversity Fund, which works to provide professional development opportunities to people from underrepresented groups, as well as funding to organisations that are looking to support diversity projects. As part of the recent London Film Festival, the BFI supported the Geena Davis Institute's symposium on Gender in the Media, and has also recently extended its Diversity Standards to cover all Film Fund Lottery schemes which support film development, production and distribution, and widen access to film in the UK.

Department for Work and Pensions

Work Capability Assessment

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 1 December (HL3877), whether they plan to compile data relevant to the assessment of whether Work Capability Assessment tests are connected to the incidence of suicide or mental health problems in disability benefit claimants, and to make that data publicly available; and if not, why not.

Lord Freud: The Department does not hold the relevant information required and we have no plans to collect such information.

Social Security Benefits: Foreign Nationals

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they record nationality and immigration status on social security benefit claimant records; and if so, whether that information is collated, and whether they will publish it broken down by nationality, status and country of origin.

Lord Freud: Nationality and immigration status are not recorded on social security benefit claimant records in a form that allows for collation.For contributory benefits, nationality is not a qualifying factor, as eligibility is determined by the National Insurance contributions that the claimant has made. As such, this information is not available. For other income related benefits where residency conditions apply and the claimant must be lawfully resident in the UK, nationality is a factor. Once residency has been determined, nationality is not required for further processing and is therefore not routinely held on DWP computer systems in a form that allows for collation.There are currently no plans to change how data is collected to allow for collation or publication.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control: Finance

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with the insurance sector about financing flood defences.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Secretary of State and Floods Minister have met recently with the Association of British Insurers to discuss how people could be incentivised to take action to manage their flood risk and the role the insurance industry can play. In addition to this, Flood Re will develop its plans in relation to incentivising resilience and will provide information on how those whose policies are ceded to the Scheme can access information about their flood risk and how to manage it.

EU External Trade: Israel

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the EU guidelines for labelling products made in Israeli settlements will apply in the UK, and if so, what are the implications for future meetings between the Ambassador of the UK to Israel and representatives of the government of Israel.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The principal feature of the Interpretative Notice issued by the European Commission on 11 November on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 is a recommendation that goods imported into the EU which originate from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories should bear an indication which makes that provenance clear. That recommendation was included in technical advice to UK retailers and importers concerning labelling agricultural produce from the West Bank that was issued by Defra in 2009. We are currently in discussion with other Departments to consider whether revisions need to be made to the 2009 advice in the light of the Interpretative Notice. I do not anticipate that the UK’s bilateral relations with Israel will be affected by the EU’s decision to adopt this Notice, given that we have already had guidance in place for several years.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Parish Councils

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 24 November (HL Deb, col 566), what specific additional support they are providing to those towns and parishes wishing to exercise the community rights provided by the Localism Act 2011 for developing neighbourhood plans, listing assets of community value and running services using the right to challenge; what other such community rights are available to town and parish councils; and what financial contribution they have made to town and parish councils for each of these purposes in each year since those rights came into existence.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The financial support for use of the community rights made by the Department for Communities and Local Government since the community rights came into force amounts to £62.6 million, including spend for the current financial year (2015/16). Spending on the Community Rights programme includes funding for communities to work with public service providers to take on services, Our Place and other related projects.Community Rights Funding (£million)2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16TOTAL110.819.517.413.962.6The Government is currently considering options for funding this activity after the financial year 2015-16.

Roads: Lighting

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of turning off street lights in the early hours of the morning by some local authorities.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Decisions about street lighting are primarily for elected local councillors, reflecting local circumstances and views. The Government has not made an assessment of the effects of turning off street lights in the early hours of the morning by some local authorities.However, a research study - The effect of reduced street lighting on road casualties and crime in England and Wales : controlled interrupted time series analysis - by R Steinbach et al, in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health published in July 2015 on the effects of street lighting on road safety and crime in England and Wales (attached) found little evidence of harmful effects of switch off, part-night lighting, dimming, or changes to white light/LEDs on road collisions or crime.



The effect of reduced street lighting
(PDF Document, 2.69 MB)

Council Tax

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 8 December (HL3988), what is the expected difference, in each county, between an increase of two per cent of the council tax levied by counties in two-tier areas, and the same increase in total if levied by both the counties and all the districts in each of those counties.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The flexibility is not being offered to districts, and so we have not calculated figures for a hypothetical difference. Councils, including non-metropolitan districts, can set any council tax increase they like. If the increase is above the threshold approved by the House of Commons, they must obtain the consent of their local electorate in a referendum.

Ministry of Defence

Guided Weapons

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will confirm that stocks of air-launched weapons such as Brimstone used in Syria and Iraq will be maintained at planned levels at no cost to the agreed defence budget.

Earl Howe: I am withholding details of stock levels of air-launched weapons as disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our Armed Forces and allies. However, the cost of replenishing weapons used for air strikes in Syria and Iraq will be met from the HM Treasury Special Reserve.

Military Decorations

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any decision has been made about the introduction of the new Long Service medal proposed by the Secretary of State for Defence in March.

Earl Howe: I can confirm that officials are currently working on the eligibility criteria for a new Long Service Medal. Details will be made available in 2016.

Aircraft Carriers: Military Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether embarked carrier air squadrons will follow the "all of one company" rule and operate under the same harmony rules.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of different elements of embarked carrier squadrons working to different harmony rules and whether it will affect deck qualifications such as that for night flying.

Earl Howe: When necessary to deliver the carrier strike programme, embarked jointly manned F-35B air squadrons will operate to the same harmony guidelines.Deck qualifications will not be affected by harmony rules.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Coal Fired Power Stations: Construction

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of coal-fired power stations under construction worldwide, the number that are planned for the future, and what effect those new stations will have on the total tonnage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The IEA estimate that global coal electricity capacity will be around 8-17% higher in 2020 than 2013, with some growth even under the IEA’s estimate of a 2°C scenario.We know that limiting the global growth in unabated coal use is necessary to tackle climate change. The UK Government announced at COP19, in Warsaw in 2013, its plans to end support for public financing of new coal-fired power plants overseas, except in rare circumstances. In order to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees, globally we need to rapidly move away from unabated coal power generation.We have negotiated a new policy in November 2015 on how OECD export credit agencies can contribute to our goal to address climate change. The new policy places significant restrictions on the financing of coal-fired power plants by OECD export credit agencies. Support for the larger less-efficient coal-fired power plants is removed, and will encourage a move away from low-efficient towards high-efficient coal-fired power plants. Over two-thirds of the coal-fired power projects receiving official export credit support from Participants between 2003 and 2013 would not have been eligible for such support under the new rules. The new rules will take effect from 1 January 2017, and are subject to a mandatory review starting in 2019, with the goal of strengthening them.My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced that we will consult next year on an end date for coal of 2025 and limiting its use by 2023.

Climate Change

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what studies they are undertaking into the slowing of the Gulf Stream and the subsequent impact on climate change and extreme weather patterns in the UK.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Natural Environment Research Council is currently funding two research programmes to detect changes in the Gulf Stream and to investigate how these changes might affect the weather of the North Atlantic (RAPID-AMOC and ODYSEA). DECC co-funds, with Defra, the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme which, amongst many other research activities, uses climate models to understand the observed fluctuations in the Gulf Stream, to predict future changes, and to assess the impact that present and future changes may have upon European weather and climate.

Cabinet Office

Young People

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Faulks on 18 November (HL Deb, col 176), which scientific studies informed the comments that "there is a considerably held view" that the adult brain reaches maturity at age 25, and that "scientific study of the adolescent brain has yet to identify an obvious point at which we can distinguish between adolescent and adults".

Lord Bridges of Headley: The age of majority is a complex subject and one which requires careful consideration. A range of differing academic views on adolescent brain development exist, for example those set out by Professor Laurence Steinberg or Dr Jay Giedd. In ‘Changing Prisons, Saving Lives - Report of the Independent Review into Self-inflicted Deaths in Custody of 18-24 year olds’ (published in July 2015), the Harris review panel comment that ‘research shows that brain structures continue to mature and develop well into the twenties’(citing ‘White Matter Development in Adolescence: A DTI Study’ by Dr Miya Asato et al).

Muslims

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 10 June (HL56), whether they will provide updated statistics for the tables entitled Growth in the UK Muslim Population, to show the most recent figures available.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



Referral Letter
(PDF Document, 153.26 KB)




UKSA Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.12 KB)

Department of Health

Cancer

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the scientific evidence regarding the incidence of cancer in those living near nuclear reactors and large spikes in radioactive gaseous emissions during the refuelling of those reactors.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) are reviewing the scientific evidence of certain cancer incidences around specific nuclear sites based on the recommendations from the 4th and 11th COMARE reports. This report will review all recent evidence that has been published since the previous reports, as judged relevant by COMARE. COMARE is a Departmental expert advisory committee that provides independent advice to government on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation.

Cancer

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government for (1) England, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales, how much was spent per capita on cancer services, and what is the national one-year cancer survival rate as a percentage of new patients for the most recent year available.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As health is a devolved matter, we are unable to provide data for Scotland or Wales.The National Audit Office estimated that the cost of cancer services to the National Health Service in England in 2012-13 was £6.7 billion, although precise figures are not available.According to the Office for National Statistics, the most recent available one-year age-standardised, all cancer survival rate for England for patients diagnosed in 2012, and followed up to 2013, is 69.3%.

Mental Health Services

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 1 December (HL3716), what legal redress is available to patients denied access to mental health care by public health authorities that fail to comply with the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 on equal priority for mental and physical health.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government is committed to achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health and we expect people to have access to appropriate care and treatment based on their needs. We have implemented the first waiting times for mental health to improve access to mental health services. If individuals are dissatisfied with the services they are receiving, they may raise their concerns using local complaints procedures and if necessary with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 19 November (HL3436), whether doctors registered as temporary and occasional under the revised Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive will be subject to revalidation like other doctors licensed to practise medicine in the UK.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The General Medical Council (Licence to Practise and Revalidation) Regulations Order of Council 2012 provide for a registered medical practitioner visiting the United Kingdom from a relevant European state to be exempt from revalidation if providing medical services in the UK on a temporary and occasional basis, as defined in schedule 2A of the Medical Act 1983.Doctors registered to work in the UK on a temporary or occasional basis are expected to meet UK national standards of fitness to practise. To join the General Medical Council (GMC) register on a temporary or occasional basis, a European Economic Area doctor must provide proof that they are legally established in their home member state and evidence of their professional qualification as part of a declaration. To remain practising in the UK, this declaration must be renewed annually. The GMC has the power to challenge the individual if they do not consider that they are providing services on a temporary and occasional basis.Individual National Health Service organisations are responsible for ensuring that all their staff are fully qualified and have the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their role.

Health: Equality

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment has been undertaken to ensure that reductions in the public health budget do not negatively affect those who share protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government reached its decisions on implementing reductions in the 2015/16 local authority public health grant after giving full consideration to its duty under the Equality Act 2010 (the public sector equality duty, or PSED). The Government’s response to a public consultation exercise, published on 4 November 2015, contains an equality analysis of the options for making the saving. A copy is attached.Final decisions on the distribution of the grant in 2016/17 have not yet been taken, but again will be made in the light of the PSED. Government decisions on the quantum of the grant have taken account of the PSED. Local authorities are responsible for identifying local needs and priorities for public health interventions, and for making decisions on local spending. Local authorities are themselves subject to the PSED.



Local Authority Public Health Allocation
(PDF Document, 615.28 KB)

Health Services: Prisoners

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to produce a national strategy plan for the health and care of older prisoners.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The health and social care needs of older prisoners will continue to be managed through health needs assessments (HNAs). HNAs address these needs on a prison-by-prison basis, reflect the diverse health needs of prisoners, including older prisoners, and identify the health needs which inform health commissioning in that establishment.Public Health England, NHS England and the National Offender Management Service commission individual HNAs in all prisons in England on a regular basis, as part of the commissioning timetable.